SALVATION ARMY IRONBOUND SOCCER WARM-UP TOURNAMENT

NEWARK, N.J - The Salvation Army Ironbound Soccer Club (ISC) announced that their annual Spring Warm-Up tournament raised $62,678.77 to ensure soccer remains affordable for youth in the Greater Newark Community. Nearly 2,000 participants from six states shook-off the winter rust and tested their skill levels against the best players in the league at a three-day competition.

“The ISC started at The Salvation Army 35 years ago, and our goal has always been to facilitate children’s athletic dreams and develop their abilities to the highest level, at the most affordable price possible,” says Al Coutinho, Program Director of The Salvation Army Ironbound Soccer Club. “ISC is a core program of The Salvation Army and has helped over 20,000 young athletes throughout the years. The support we’ve received from our community partners and sponsors - such as Prudential Financial, Rutgers, Douglas R. and Sarah L. Lantier, Robert O. Progner, The City of Newark and The County of Essex has been essential to us carrying out our mission to provide an unparalleled soccer experience for soccer players of all levels.”

The action in the tournament was fun and high paced. “Local Talk” saw exciting contests at Rutgers Alumni Field in Downtown Newark, which featured boys and girls teams taking to the pitch (or field for those not familiar with the game). In one boys match, the Clifton Stallions played Monroe to a 4-4 draw, while in a girls match, their Clifton squad played Ironbound SC to a 2-2 tie.

Several clubs also played at Riverside Park in the Brick City as well as all over the Essex County area. For results of the tournament, go to www.IronboundSoccer.com and follow the corresponding links.

For 35 years, The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Newark Ironbound has run a soccer program out of its facility on Providence Street to serve the Greater Newark community. A volunteer-based organization with volunteer administrators, coaches and other staff, the ISC’s mission is to serve children with constructive recreation activities and meeting the human needs of families in a historic immigrant enclave.

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. Eighty-two cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support these services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, visit www.SalvationArmyNJ.org.